The Rock returns: New X-Cup Series to run 10-race schedule at Rockingham Speedway

NASCAR may have already turned its back on Rockingham Speedway, but North Carolina hasn’t.

Level 1 Motorsports, a Union County-based Motorsports group, is planning on bringing a new series called the X-Cup to Rockingham in 2016, per William R. Toler of the Rockingham Daily Journal. James Martin, a team representative, says the plan is to start in April with 10 races — eight on the short track and two held on the infield road course.

“They’re all gonna be ran at Rockingham,” Martin said. “We’re finalizing the final rules package now.”

Image courtesy of @Level1Mtrsprts

Rockingham Speedway has not held a Sprint Cup race in over a decade. Since that last race in 2004, The Rock hosted Camping World Trucks Series events in 2012 and 2013, but has sat dormant since those dates.

Having a series at the track would be massive for The Rock itself, but also for Richmond County as a whole. With 15 drivers already signed up, Level 1 hopes to have a full 32-car field when the 2016 season kicks off. That hype could bring fans back to the track, which Martin hopes will give the X-Cup Series some staying power in North Carolina.

“Basically, a person can bring their family out for not a lot of money for a full day of racing,” Martin said. “… Anything that we can do to give back.”

The final rules package and schedule have not been announced yet, but the Level 1 Twitter account notes it will be posting both soon to its website.

Along with Martin, Jim Blankenbaker and Craig Northacker of Vets-Help previously announced they are teaming up to turn it into a center to assist veterans with reintegrating into society. While there have been no recent announcements on those plans, getting cars back at the Rockingham Raceway Park is a huge step in the right direction.

“We’ve got a lot of things going on and it’s pretty exciting,” Northacker said. “The only thing we’re trying to do is make sure our programs succeed.”